A French intelligence officer being held by the Al-Shabab resistance group in Somalia. The French used his detention as a pretext for the intervention in Somalia on January 12, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
Somalia: Al Shabab - We Will Execute French Hostage
By Smn, 16 January 2013
Mogadishu — Somalia's militant group of Al Shabab has declared that it would execute French secret agent the group has been holding as a hostage for the last three years, according to a statement the group posted on its twitter page, @HSMPress Office.
The group says in the twitter that the French govt gambled on the life of dennis Aleex after French commandos conducted a botched rescue mission in Somalia recently.
"After the botched rescue to snatch Dennis that attempt by France sentenced Dennis to death, the group wrote in its twitter message.
The group alleged in its twitter that French defence minister wrongly told the media that Dennis died during the recent operation while he is till a live and in the hands of the group but the group didn't show if Dennis was alive after that operation in Bulo Marer.
Somali militants ‘sentence French hostage to death’
By FRANCE 24 the 16/01/2013 - 09:10
Somali al Shabaab militants sentenced French agent Denis Allex to death Wednesday, several days after an attempt by French armed forces to rescue him failed. French authorities state that Allex was killed during the botched operation.
Somali militants linked to al Qaeda said on Wednesday that they will execute the French intelligence officer they have held for more than three years, but who is already presumed dead by French authorities. The agent was the object of a botched rescue bid on Saturday.
“Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen has reached a unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer, Denis Allex [following] exhaustive attempts at negotiations” the militants said in an online statement that was also posted on the group’s official Twitter handle.
France said on Saturday it believed Allex, held hostage by al Shabaab since 2009, had most likely been killed by his captors during the failed rescue attempt.
“We have nothing since Friday’s raid on Denis Allex being alive. We think he is likely dead,” the French army's Chief of Staff Edouard Guillard told Europe 1 Radio.
It was not immediately clear whether the rebels were saying they had already killed Allex.
“It is the government of France... which must bear full responsibility for the death of Allex,” al Shabaab said. “With the rescue attempt, France has voluntarily signed Allex’s death warrant.”
Guillard said the militants were engaging in “media manipulation”.
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